


Electric Avenue

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989), The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Attacked, Danger, Gen, Hurt, Rescue, Search, bust, ghost - Freeform, injured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:33:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11752083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: A ghost who siphons electricity attacks the city and the Ghostbusters, causing problems for everyone involved. The ghost almost kills one of the team members which causes extensive research into this new specter, only to uncover a more dangerous threat by the ghost's presence. Time is of the essence as the ghost targets the city as a whole and the people who attempt to stop it.Cover Art:  http://kt-jadeblaze.deviantart.com/art/Sacrifice-694410859





	Electric Avenue

A newly constructed power plant outside of Brooklyn flickered with bright lights in the darkness of the night as a troublesome ghost drawn to electricity sapped energy from within the building; causing sporadic power surges and temporary blackouts. The large concrete building stood out amongst the numerous steel warehouses and storage containers that lined the industrial district. With each flash of light through the windows the surrounding structures would cast eerie shadows along the streets and throughout the block.

The sound of heavy boot steps echoing throughout the expansive building pinpointed the current location of the four Ghostbusters who responded to the late night call.

"It went this way!" Winston Zeddemore lead the charge as he tracked the ghost bounding between two large generators in the basement. "Don't lose sight of it!"

"I'm right behind ya', Z!" Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz responded with a loud shout as he followed a few yards behind the seasoned marine.

Dr. Peter Venkman and Dr. Egon Spengler were still on the ground floor examining the damage caused by the lone specter. Heavy scorching, electrical discharge and the acrid smell of ozone offered a plethora of invaluable data for the Ghostbusters to add to their ever expanding chronicles on paranormal activity.

"Are ya' done yet, Spengz?" Peter asked with a bored tone as he leaned casually against a large control panel. "I heard Winston and Ray yelling a minute ago, I think it's safe to say they found it."

"In a moment Peter." Egon scanned a massive metal panel that was smoldering with residual electrical discharge and ectoplasm. "These readings are very unusual."

"Yeah, it's from a ghost. Unusual is usual in this case."

"No, these readings are quite different from previous chronicled readings we've taken over the past few years. In fact, these seem to contain trace amounts of naturally occurring pure electricity as opposed to the man made artificial generated electricity that flows throughout our entire country; as well as a majority of the globe."

"Natural electricity isn't all that rare, it's called 'lightning', remember?" Peter responded with a disinterested yawn as he looked down at his watch. "Happens all the time."

Egon didn't dignify Peter's indifference with a reply of his own. Retrieving a glass test tube from the pocket on his upper sleeve of his jumpsuit he uncorked the vial and scrapped a layer of the residue inside for storage. "I'll need to take a sample for further testing."

"At least it doesn't look like mucus this time."

"We should find Ray and Winston."

"Finally!" Peter stood up straight and walked toward the opened door of the basement. "They went down here."

Working together Winston and Ray managed to pin down the ghost without it becoming aware of their presence and fleeing once again. The ghost had the upper body of a humanoid figure with grossly long arms and hands that had only three fingers each. Its lower body was long and round like the entire body of a leech. Its face was a blank, featureless monstrosity save for two black hollows for eyes and wide round mouth that had three rows of teeth. As it siphoned energy from the western generator, its back turned to the approaching Ghostbusters, the duo identified their target aimed their throwers accordingly.

"On three..." Ray whispered as he discreetly unclipped the trap from his belt and positioned it a few yards from the ghost. "One, two..." Just as Ray's thumb hovered over the switch on the thrower the ghost turned its head and stared directly at him. "three!"

As the proton streams erupted from the throwers the ghost sprang from the generator and attached its long hands to Ray's shoulders. With one fell swoop the ghost bit down, hard, on Ray's chest and began drawing energy from the unguarded engineer.

"Ray!" Winston shifted his aim as swiftly as the ghost had leapt. The proton stream wrapped around the leeching ghost and pulled it away from Ray, who had fallen to his knees and was in the process of falling backward.

The ghost hissed and struggled against the proton stream but couldn't wrest itself free. A second beam joined the first as Peter opened fire and aided in restraining the ghost.

"Peter! Egon!" Winston called out of the sound of the dual proton streams. "The ghost got Ray!"

"Ray?" Egon tried to address his fallen colleague but received no answer. Walking over to where Ray lay fallen on the floor, the two proton streams dancing overhead as Winston and Peter wrangled the ghost over the set trap, Egon laid his hand down Ray's chest and studied his pale, expressionless face. "Ray, can you hear me?"

"How is he?" Peter asked without taking his eyes from the targeted ghost.

"He's unconscious." Egon confirmed as lifted Ray's eyelids to check his pupils. Ray's chest was rising and falling with an even rhythm with his slow breaths and his hear rate was steady despite, it too, being slow. Using the PKE meter Egon scanned Ray's body. "His vitals are stable, but he is very weak."

Winston hovered his boot over the release trigger for the trap. "Trap open!" Stomping down the trap opened and unleashed a bright white beam of ionized light that seemed to absorb the ghost and pull down inside, sealing it away from the world. Shutting down the proton streams Winston stomped down the trigger a second time the trap shut itself and began to smoke from the extreme heat generated by the ion energy. "Got it!"

Peter and Winston gathered around Egon who was kneeling beside Ray, his hand wrapped around Ray's wrist and his other hand holding the PKE meter to continue the scan.

"What happened to him?" Peter asked Winston with a curious tone.

"That ghost grabbed onto him, it looked like it bit him!"

"It bit him?" Peter arched an eyebrow and gave Ray a quick glance. "Where?"

"His chest."

Egon set down the PKE meter on the floor and let Ray's hand lay limply over his abdomen as he unzipped Ray's jumpsuit to examine his chest. "Minor damage to the fabric of the jumpsuit," Egon noted the small tears as he then pulled down the collar of Ray's black t-shirt. "and to the t-shirt beneath. However it appears there is an irritation to his skin."

Peter and Winston leaned in closer as Egon let go of the collar and chose to instead lift the bottom of Ray's t-shirt up and completely his expose his bare chest.

"Ouch!" Peter grimaced as the red and purple bruising in the center of Ray's chest. "That's a big hickey!"

The bruise was a perfect circle mirroring the mouth of the ghost. Small bleeding divots that lined the perimeter of the bruise indicated where the many teeth had punctured the flesh.

Egon picked up the PKE meter and ran it over Ray's chest. "I'm not picking up any residual ecotplasmic residue or psychokinetic energy."

"Meaning?" Peter sounded a little annoyed by Egon's purely scientific reaction to the entire situation.

"Meaning that the ghost and its energy has been completely removed from his body. Ray isn't in any danger of contracting an type of incorporeal infection. The electrical activity in his brain has been significantly diminished but it's not life threatening."

Winston put his hand on the side of Ray's face and gently patted twice. "So we can take him back to the firehouse?"

Egon nodded and turned off the PKE meter. "If he regains consciousness, then yes."

Peter put his hand on Ray's shoulders and shook lightly. "Come on Ray, open your eyes! It's time to go home."

A low groan of pain escaped Ray's lips as he struggled to wake up. Too weak to move on his own Ray couldn't even lift his head as forced his heavy eyelids open. "...Guys?" He slurred with unparalleled fatigue. "What happened?"

"That ghost attacked you." Winston answered calmly, his relief was genuine as he watched Ray return to the waking world. "But it looks like you'll be okay."

"I feel terrible..." Ray admitted as he again tried to lift his head but failed. "It feels like I've just spent an entire month with the flu."

"Minor change in his vitals." Clipping the PKE meter back to his belt Egon pulled Ray's shirt back down before he put his hand under Ray's shoulders and helped the physically drained back to sit up. "It appears the ghost had targeted the naturally occurring electrical impulses throughout your body when it attacked you." Unfastening the straps of the proton pack Egon removed the heavy device from Ray's back. "This ghost is apparently capable of sustaining itself on may forms of electrical sources."

"It used me like a battery?" Ray asked as his eyes shut against his will and he fought against gravity to remain sitting upright. "That's a first."

"Alright, let's get you up." Peter put his hand under Ray's arm and pulled him up from the floor and onto his feet. Supporting almost all of Ray's weight was awkward but necessary for the time being. "Winston, give us a hand."

"Sure, no problem." Pulling Ray up by his other arm he and Peter hefted Ray's arms over their shoulders and carried their weakened colleague out of the basement and up to the ground floor. Ray tried to walk but didn't have the strength, his legs were like lead and his boots dragged along the ground. "Don't try to help us Ray, just take it easy."

"I think I can do that..." Ray's joke was slurred but still appreciated by his worried friends. "Coming Egon?"

Egon followed the trio after he slung the occupied trap over his shoulder and picked up Ray's dropped proton pack. The PKE meter on his belt detected another unusual reading, but as quickly as the meter detected the reading it vanished. Egon paid little mind to the meter as his thoughts were currently preoccupied with Ray's physical well being. He made a mental note to check the meter after Ray was taken care of.

Though it was a graceless endeavor Winston and Peter were able to get Ray into the backseat of Ecto-1, and get their friend comfortably situated while Egon loaded up their equipment. The bust was a success despite Ray being attacked, it would just take some before any of the Ghostbusters would become aware of this fact.

Returning to the firehouse Peter and Egon helped Ray, who had fallen asleep on the drive back, out of the iconic hearse. Winston took care of the trap as well as the proton packs while Ray was taken upstairs into the bunk room. Janine Melnitz, the loyal receptionist, wouldn't arrive for her shift until nine in the morning which left only the three Ghostbusters to take care of their downed colleague for the next six hours.

"Comfortable?" Peter asked as he watched Ray laying down very still in his bed.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

Egon was sitting on the edge of Ray's bed and was listening to his friend's heart with a stethoscope. "No arrhythmia or murmur." Egon pulled his hand back from Ray's chest. "But I'd still like to have your vitals monitored for the rest of the night. We still need to study this ghost and it'd be best to air on the side of caution."

"Yeah, sure. It doesn't bother me." Ray was talking in a very low tone as he struggled to remain awake. "I'm so tired I think I could sleep through an earthquake."

"Stay with him, Venkman." Egon instructed Peter as he left the bunk room to gather monitoring equipment. "This won't take long."

"No problem Spengz." Peter gave Egon an odd look as he left the room. "Not hard to not move from one spot. Right Ray?"

"Huh?" Ray was barely awake.

"Nothing. It's not important." Peter patted Ray's arm with an amused grin. "Just take it easy. You'll feel better soon."

Egon returned to the room with a cardiac monitor in his arms. Winston followed behind with a sleepy yawn of his own. "The ghost has been deposited. Now let's get some sleep."

"Agreed." Egon set the monitor down on the nightstand beside Ray's bed. "You'll have to remove your shirt."

"Uh..." Ray could barely lift his own arms, let alone remove his shirt.

"I got this!" Peter grabbed onto the collar of Ray's jumpsuit while Egon pulled Ray's arms free of the long sleeves. He then took hold of the collar of Ray's t-shirt and began lifting it up. Using his other hand he helped Ray pull his arms free once more. "Ta-da!" Peter announced as he casually tossed Ray's shirt over his own shoulder and onto the floor.

"Thanks Peter..."

Attaching the leads connected to the monitor to Ray's chest Egon turned on the monitor and turned the alarm down to silent. "I've rigged the monitor to record the electrical impulses produced by your body. While you were unconscious at the factory your impulses were at a higher rate than when you regained consciousness." Egon pulled the blanket up over Ray's chest. "I believe that with enough rest you'll recovery fully without requiring any secondary medical intervention."

Ray sighed and finally let himself drift off to sleep. "Thanks for looking after me, guys..."

Winston and Peter watched as Ray's body relaxed and the cardiac monitor respond to his weakened body. The monitor showed a normal heart rate at an abnormally slow rate, but Ray wasn't in any distress and seemed to be sleeping very peacefully.

"Think he'll be okay?" Winston asked Egon in a soft tone.

"Yes. He just needs to rest. In time he'll be back to normal health."

"Until then we just let him sleep?" Peter folded his arms as if jealous of his friend. "No experimental tests or drugs?"

"No." Egon answered in a flat but confident manner.

"Some guys have all the luck." Peter stretched out his arms and shoulders as he let out a loud yawn. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep myself. I don't appreciate calls after midnight." Plopping down on his bed Peter shut his eyes and pulled the covers up over his head. "Goodnight."

"Best idea I've heard all night." Winston walked over to his own bed and laid back down. "You don't need us anymore, right?"

"No. You get some sleep." Egon turned off the light. "I'll be downstairs."

Using only the necessary lighting in the basement Egon crept down the stairs in the wee hours of the morning with the intent on researching the bizarre ghost that seemed to drain Ray of his natural energy. This type of leeching behavior isn't uncommon with ghosts, as many draw upon man made electronic devices in order to manifest, however ghosts who use the naturally occurring energy from living beings is very unusual; if not entirely dangerous for all New Yorkers.

Isolating himself in the basement Egon checked the power display of the ecto containment unit and noted that there seemed to be a surge in the energy levels with the addition of the newest occupant.

"Fascinating." Egon compared the new readings to the previous readings. "This ghost is a truly unique entity. It draws on electricity but the ionization field of the containment unit seems to dampen its ability to siphon electrical impulses."

Taking the PKE meter from his belt Egon then compared the recorded data from the bust itself to the data on display for the containment unit.

"Truly fascinating." Egon reiterated. "An entity that subsists entirely on a single element. Tobin's Spirit Guide references energy draining spectral anomalies but there is no mention of ghosts isolating a single element from the environment. Perhaps this ghost manifested solely from mankind's ingenuity? If so then this ghost can be classified as the first artificially created incorporeal entity."

A single small bolt of electricity jumped from the containment unit's display over to the PKE meter in Egon's hand. The static charge wasn't painful but it was surprising enough to cause Egon to step back from the containment unit and drop the meter in the process.

"Electrical surge." Egon observed calmly and looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. "The entity must be responsible."

Daring to approach the containment unit's display again Egon checked the power level readings, only to take a cautious step back. "Normal readings... Where is the entity?"

The PKE meter laying on the floor at Egon's feet suddenly shuddered with motion as a wave of electrical energy surged through the dropped device. A second bolt electricity erupted from the PKE meter and struck Egon in his shoulder! Unable to react quickly enough, unable to sidestep the attack Egon took the full bunt of the jolt and fell to the ground.

Suddenly too weak to call out in pain Egon laid on his stomach alone on the floor of the basement as he felt his strength drain from his body.

Hours passed by turning night into morning. Ray slept without waking as he recovered from his attack, while Egon lay helpless in the basement far below the bunk room. Neither Peter or Winston noticed that Egon had never gone to bed as they too were exhausted and slept soundly all through the night and well through the early morning hours.

Winston awoke first and looked over at Ray who still sound asleep. Seeing the constant beat of Ray's heart on the monitor he was satisfied that his friend was stable and out of danger. "Glad to see you're still with us." Peter was still asleep and Egon's bed was unoccupied. "Better get in a shower before we get another call." Walking into the washroom quietly Winston turned on the shower and sighed deeply. "Man, I smell like a basement!"

Peter was stirred awake by the sound of rushing water from the washroom adjoined to the bunk room. Warm beams of rising sunlight shone over the hardwood floor and illuminated the room in an amber glow. Still tired he rolled over onto his back and stretched out as much as possible. "Few more minutes. I will not be held responsible for any crankiness on my part..."

Janine arrived at nine in the morning, sharp, with a cup of warm chamomile tea in her hand. Approaching her desk she placed her purse in the bottom drawer and checked the answering machine only to find no messages. Before she had the chance to sit down she noticed that the basement light was on, which was something that was out of character for the four very observant Ghostbusters.

"That's strange. The light is never left on!" Walking over to the opened stairwell of the basement Janine ran her hand along the wall to locate the switch. "I wonder why they-" As she rested her hand on the switch she caught sight of a form laying on the floor. "Egon!"

Egon had heard a voice calling his name. Using as much strength as he could muster he pushed himself up from the ground onto his elbows and knees. His entire body was shaking from the physical exertion.

"Egon, are you alright?" Janine was resting on her knees beside him. She put one hand on his chest and her other hand on his back to try and help him stop shaking. "What happened?"

"...attacked." Egon managed to speak although his voice was as shaky as the rest of his body. "Entity escaped."

"Can you get up?"

"I'll try..." Egon struggled to shift his weight back toward his legs so he could stand up.

"Here," Janine rubbed his back once. "lean against me."

Reluctantly Egon allowed Janine to pull him up from the ground and lean against her shoulder. He did his best to keep his weight from hurting her, but he was too weak to properly balance himself and his great height only made it all the more difficult.

"Walk slowly." Janine encouraged as she tightened her arm around Egon's waist and her hand around his arm as he limped from the center of the basement and to the staircase. "Hey fellas!" She called out for the other guys, hoping they'd hear her voice from the second floor. "Need some help down here!"

It was a clumsy assent but with Janine's help Egon was able to walk halfway up the staircase before having to stop and rest.

By that time Peter had wandered down from the bunk room having heard Janine's voice. "What's going on down here? It's too early in the morning for drama!" Seeing Egon standing on the stairs with Janine holding him up all sarcasm left Peter in an instant. "Egon! What's going on down here?" Rushing to Egon's other side he took the brunt of Egon's weight and helped him to walk the rest of the way up the stairs.

"I was studying the ghost..." Egon sounded dazed and as tired as Ray had been the previous night. "It attacked me. Escaped the unit."

"Oh, great!" Peter paused long enough for Egon to rest at the top of the stairs. "First Ray and now you! If Winston goes down I'm calling in sick."

Janine shook her head. "Just help me carry him!"

Winston had finished his shower and was dressed in fresh clothes for the day. As he wandered down the staircase from the second floor he spotted Egon and immediately raced over to his friend. "Oh no, what happened?"

Peter answered on Egon's behalf. "Ghost got him, then escaped."

"Not again. Here Janine," Winston took her place and helped Peter guide Egon up into the bunk room. "we'll take care of Egon. Can you go upstairs first and check in on Ray?"

"Peter wasn't joking about Ray? This is NOT how I wanted to start my day!"

"Easy big guy," Peter tried to be sympathetic toward his friend but didn't want to lose his humor in fear this his seriousness might worry the others. "we'll get you tucked into bed and if you ask nicely I bet Janine would read you a story!"

"No thank you..." Egon retorted in a quiet slurring voice. "I won't need it."

"We gotta' do something about this ghost!" Peter declared as he and Winston carried Egon into the bunk room and sat him down on the edge of his bed beside Ray. "How do we find it Egon?"

"I don't..." Egon was struggling to keep his thoughts coherent. "It leaves an electrical signature."

Janine watched from the opposite side of Ray's bed as Egon was laid down to rest. "This ghost attacked both Ray and Egon?"

"Yeah," Winston confirmed solemnly. "and if we can't find it, catch it and keep it locked up the entire city could be in trouble!"

Peter put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "Okay Spengz, you know the drill. Just like Ray you need to rest, so don't go sneaking off to the basement to do research while me and Winston are out looking for this thing. Janine," Peter pointed at the fiery receptionist. "it's your job to make sure they're both resting."

"Sure Dr. V, I'll do what I can."

Winston used his thumb to point over his shoulder to the fire pole in the corner of the room. "Want to head out and look for the ghost?"

"Yeah, the sooner the better!"

"I'll meet you at the car!" Winston easily slid down the fire pole and out of sight. His instincts as a marine kicked in full gear; his colleagues were down and other people could be in mortal danger! He couldn't just stand by and do nothing. "Let's move it!"

Peter gave Egon's shoulder a quick pat before grabbing onto the fire pole. He called out one last request as he slid down out of the bunk room and into the garage. "We'll be back, don't do anything stupid while we're gone! I'd hate to miss it!"

Janine sat on the edge of Egon's bed. "Do you need anything?"

"No." Egon fought against his fatigue but was noticeably losing the battle. "Just keep an eye on Ray. If anything happens you must wake me up."

"Okay Egon, I'll stay with Ray. I promise."

Despite his desire to remain awake Egon couldn't keep his eyes open. With a final deep sigh his eyes shut and his body relaxed as the desperately needed slumber overtook him.

Janine gingerly lifted Egon's glasses away from his face, folded the frames and set the glasses down on the table beside Egon's bed. Running her fingers through his hair she couldn't help but compare him to a feeble, helpless shell of his former self. It was rare to see any of the Ghostbusters submitting to injury or fatigue, but to see the team's night owl who would put work ahead of sleep laying so still and lifeless was almost haunting.

"Don't worry guys, I'm here." She soothed quietly. Turning to look over her shoulder at Ray laying in the bed beside Egon, she reached out her hand and rested it on top of Ray's. "Wake up soon, I already miss you."

* * *

 

The firehouse was uncommonly quiet with two Ghostbusters incapacitated and the remaining two out on an emergency call. With the exception of Janine there was seemingly no life inside the old brick building.

Peter and Winston had taken off inside Ecto-1 in an attempt to locate the missing ghost. The PKE meter that had initially recorded the ghost's electrical signature had been damaged beyond repair, which meant the responding duo would need to start fresh and locate the ghost with their wits and experience as paranormal investigators.

"Find anything yet?" Winston asked as he drove down the streets toward the power plant where everything began. His soulful brown eyes were sharp and focused on the activity taking place all around the car on the sidewalks. "Any electrical disturbances or spikes in PKE levels?"

"Nothing yet." Peter had taken one of the spare PKE meters from storage and was using it to scan the air while riding passenger. "A few 'blips' here and there, but that's nothing unusual for New York. The question is: How do we isolate a strong electrical signal in a city full of people and buildings that are just brimming with electricity already?"

"I think I know the answer..." A proud smile appeared on Winston's face. "We can look for an unusual electrical pattern by looking for areas that are suddenly without electricity. That ghost was causing the power to flicker all morning long, if we find a blackout-"

"We find the ghost!" Peter happily slapped Winston's shoulder in approval. "'Zed' you're a genius!"

* * *

 

Janine kept watch over the two exhausted Ghostbusters who had been victimized by the ghost's insatiable craving for electrical impulses. Ray was sleeping deeply, almost as if he was actually unconscious or lost in a coma rather than actually resting to regain his strength. Egon was sleeping as well but he wasn't staying asleep for longer than twenty minutes at a time. He seemed to be forcing himself to regain consciousness just long enough to ask Janine about what was happening while he was left behind to rest.

"Please Egon, try to relax!" Janine pleaded as she rested her hands lightly on his upper chest. "If you don't rest then you'll never recover!"

"I need to figure out how to trap the ghost indefinitely." Egon tried to refute with a slurred voice. "I can work-"

"No!" Janine refused to let Egon even attempt to get up. "Rest. Peter and Winston are going to track down the ghost and bring it back here. They can figure out what to do, don't worry about it."

"I..." Egon tried again to argue but he was too weak. Trailing off before he even began he fell into a deep sleep and didn't budge from where he laid.

"Trust them Egon," Janine encouraged lightly. "you have before, why is it different now? You can't take on all the responsibility yourself."

No response from Egon.

"Sleep. I'll take care of you and Ray. Don't worry."

* * *

 

Ecto-1 was parked along the dark, motionless street. A sudden blackout had taken the power from many small businesses and apartments in Brooklyn, which of course made the residents in the area very impatient, if not completely upset. Many of the residents decided to spend time in other parts of the city until the power came back on, while others stayed inside their apartments and kept to themselves.

"The entire block is out of power and we STILL can't find the ghost!" Peter grumbled as he and Winston checked the floors of the tall apartment complex. "Why do we have to walk up ten flights of stairs for a power draining ghost? Of course we'd get the tall buildings when the elevators go down!"

"Think of it as getting your cardio in for the day." Winston suggested as he used the PKE meter to scan the air. "Exercise is good for you."

"Yeah, good for making me sweaty and tired."

"And cranky."

"What was that?"

"Huh? Nothing." Winston lied with a cheeky smile. "I'm not getting anything. Maybe this blackout is unrelated to the ghost."

"Oh, great. If that's the case then we just wasted two hours looking for nothing!"

"We were looking for nothing," Winston corrected with his cheeky smile even wider. "we found nothing."

"Okay, you've spending WAY too much time with Egon." Peter stopped walking and crossed his arms bitterly. "Or Ray. Sounds like something Egon would say but Ray has all of his books and can be analytical of my grammar."

"Want to head back out to the street and see if we can't find a fresh lead?" Winston turned off the PKE meter and clipped it back his belt.

"Maybe we should stick around just in case the ghost turns up." Peter tried to suggest casually.

Winston wasn't buying it. "You just don't walk back down all those stairs."

"Do you?"

* * *

 

Janine pressed her hand down Ray's bare, cold chest; careful not to disturb the sensors attached to his chest, and felt his slow deep breathing and watched his heart rhythm on the monitor. Though still wearing his jumpsuit it was unzipped down to his waist and his t-shirt had long since been removed to hook up the cardiac monitor. Ray was still pale and didn't look like there was any life left in his body.

"I bet you're cold." Janine spoke gently as she pulled the top cover up higher over Ray's chest. "There, that should help."

She looked over at the display on the monitor and saw no change in Ray's condition; there was no response to her touch or her words. Sitting atop the cardiac monitor was the stethoscope Egon had used when he gave Ray an examination upon their return to the firehouse. Janine picked up the medical device curiously and placed the pieces in her ear.

"Hello?" She whispered as she spoke into the bell. Flinching at the sound of her own amplified voice she blushed a little and hoped she hadn't disturbed her resting friends. "This thing is pretty loud." Janine commented as she looked down at Ray and then over to Egon. "Hmm... But is it accurate?"

Placing the bell of the stethoscope on Ray's chest Janine listened curiously as she watched the monitor beeping in perfect rhythm with Ray's heart. "So that's what a doctor hears all day long."

Unable to resist the temptation Janine then approached Egon and prepared to repeat her actions. Carefully she unzipped Egon's jumpsuit down to just below his chest. Pulling aside the gray fabric she rested the bell on his chest and listened with a schoolgirl smile on her face. "Faster than Ray's heart."

The sound of heavy boot steps rushing up the staircase startled Janine causing her to remove the stethoscope from her ears and toss it across the room in embarrassed panic.

"Janine!" Peter's voice called for her as he entered the bunk room. "Any change?"

"No, they're both still asleep." She ran a hand through her red hair nervously. "Did you find the ghost?"

Peter noticed that Janine was blushing, her face was almost as red as her hair. "Not yet... Janine, is there something wrong?"

"No! Why do you ask?" She adjusted her glasses and wrapped her hands together behind her back trying to feign innocence.

"Well, you look like you just got caught peeking into the boys locker room!" Peter noted as a mischievous grin plastered itself across his smarmy face. "You weren't trying to play 'Sleeping Beauty' with Egon, were you?"

"What?!" Janine blushed even redder. "No! I'd never-"

"Just kidding Janine!" Peter raised his hands as if to surrender. "Take it easy."

Winston finally joined his colleagues in the bunk room. "I put up the PKE meter down to charge. Anything new in here?"

Peter flashed Janine a taunting smile as he answered very smoothly. "Same as before. No change." Crossing his arms he continued to study Janine's reaction with a knowing glance. "Should we try to wake them up?"

"No," Winston checked the cardiac monitor beside Ray's bed. "I think Egon's right. The best way to recover from an attack by this type of ghost is to rest."

Janine cleared her throat and excused herself from the bunk room. "I'm going to make a fresh pot of tea. Do you want me to brew some coffee?"

"That'd be great, thanks Janine." Winston was unaware of Peter toying with the receptionist as he was too focused on Ray and Egon.

Peter watched as Janine calmly crossed the room before saying anything else to the flustered receptionist. "Bye Janine!"

Janine stumbled as she walked by quickly and discreetly regained her composure without breaking stride.

"So 'Zed', what's the plan?" Peter sat down on the edge of Ray's bed and watched Winston measured Egon's pulse by his wrist. "Set up some bait and hope for the best? I bet there's some old spark plugs in the basement we could use to 'chum' the water."

"I think we should try to get the PKE meter Egon had used during the bust." Winston laid Egon's arm back down gently on the bed. "I bet that'll give us a better lead on the ghost."

"Is it in the basement?" Peter remembered that the meter they used wasn't Egon's but rather the spare stored away in Ecto-1 for back-up purposes.

"Yeah. When I went to put the other meter downstairs to charge I found the one he used. It looks like it was damaged when he was attacked this morning."

"Great. How do we use a busted meter?" Peter sounded a little irritated but not defeated.

"It's not busted Peter, it's damaged. All I can do is access its data bank and find the ghost's signature, but I can't use it to track the ghost anymore."

"Well, at least we'll get the scent for its trail."

"Exactly!" Winston was relieved to have Peter on the same page as he was. "We can transfer the recorded data from one meter to the other, then it'll be easy to pick up on the ghost's signature with a far more accurate reading than hoping we run into it on the streets."

"Or up some stairs."

While Winston began work on adjusting the two PKE meters at the small table in the rec room Peter hovered between Ray and Egon's beds as he waited to see any sign of recovery from his two downed colleagues. Staring at the monitor beside Ray's bed he sighed and shook his head at the sight. When the equipment was initially stocked inside the firehouse Peter thought it was just going to be a useless piece of junk taking up space; little did he know how much of their work would require an in-depth look at human biology.

"Guess you were right after all Spengz," Peter confessed halfheartedly. "this hunk of metal and wires is pretty useful."

"Glad you finally admit it." A slurred voice responded.

"Egon? You awake buddy?" Peter asked as he sat on the edge of Egon's bed. He put his hand on Egon's arm as if he could somehow keep Egon awake and talking by sheer force of will.

"Not for long." Egon opened his eyes partially and struggled to focus his glassy irises on Peter. "Still extraordinarily weak."

"Then don't keep me in suspense, tell me everything you can about that ghost!"

"It feeds on electrical impulses, draining its chosen source to the brink of death within a few seconds. While it merely brushed through my body by passing through the PKE meter it still managed to siphon a substantial amount of energy from my body. When it bit down onto Ray I believe it intended to drain away all of Ray's energy. It would've killed him had Winston not pulled the ghost from his body."

Peter felt himself pale knowing that Ray was in fact perilously close to death just the previous night. "So it's dangerous, great. How do we stop it?"

"The standard ion trap will not be sufficient enough to contain it." Egon's eyes were beginning to shut again. "The dampening effects caused by the ion field will have to be enhanced long enough to contain the ghost until it burns up its own energy and dispearses."

"We have to use the trap to starve the ghost and 'kill' it?"

"Precisely." Egon's voice was beginning to slur. "It will require a significant power source... to..."

"To?" Peter grabbed onto the lapels of Egon's jumpsuit and pulled his fading friend upward from the bed in a strong grip. "Come on! Spit it out!"

"You must lure the ghost to the trap... Then... seal it."

"Lure it?" Peter stared blankly at the floor before looking back at Egon. "How?"

Egon didn't say anything further as he again lost consciousness as the need to sleep was too overwhelming for him to resist any longer.

"Egon? Egon!" Peter called out loudly but he felt Egon's body go limp and become heavier in his grip. Laying Egon back down Peter took in a deep breath and rose from the bed. "Better go tell Winston. Looks like we'll need some 'chum' after all!"

Janine held a flashlight over his shoulder as Winston used every engineering skill Ray had trained him under to make the proper adjustments to the necessary meter. It was delicate work but Winston was a man of exuberant patience who never quit when faced with a challenge.

"Hold the light just a little higher." Winston instructed as he used a small screwdriver to finish transferring the circuit boards. "Almost got it!"

"This better work." Peter grumbled as he joined Winston and Janine at the table. "I just had a very brief word with Egon, we need to find a way to trap this nuisance of a ghost and keep it trapped until it uses it up all of its own energy."

Janine's eyes went wide with excitement. "Egon was awake?"

"Barely a minute."

Winston set aside the screwdriver. "At least we know he's still with us." Testing the power on the PKE meter Winston checked the recorded data for the troublesome ghost's unique signature. "And we're going to find this ghost before it causing any more problems!"

"Good." Peter rubbed at the back of his neck anxiously. "This ghost does have the potential to kill people."

Both Winston and Janine gave Peter a startled glance.

"Now," Peter clapped his hands together expectantly. "Winston where do we find this 'lethal leech'?"

"From what I can get on the meter it looks like our ghost is hiding out a few blocks East from here. Maybe at the pier, or better yet, the light house!"

"Makes sense to me. A lot of energy and a lot of people passing by." Peter sounded all too casual about the event. "Let's head out and catch our little leech." As he walked away from the table he couldn't resist toying with Janine one last time. "Keep an eye on our two favorite scientists, will ya' Janine?"

"Yes, of course." Janine did her best to not sound defensive.

"Play nice, and don't do anything weird while they're asleep!"

Janine blushed deeply as she bit her tongue, unable to think of anything to say to Peter as he and Winston walked down from the second floor and into the garage.

* * *

 

The pier was quiet as Ecto-1 rolled up the coast. The late hour chill kept many people from walking the docks at night which gave the two Ghostbusters clearance to check out the pier without any innocent bystanders being at risk.

"There's the old lighthouse." Winston commented as he held the meter out of the driver's side window and up to the towering beacon of light. "And the ghost is nearby. I looks like it's circling the light at the top of the tower."

"Like a moth to a flame." Peter stared at the light through the windshield. "Good thing we have a bug zapper!"

"Is the trap fully charged?" Winston asked as he opened his door.

"Should be. I'll double check." Peter opened his own door and pulled open the rear compartment. Pulling the single trap from its rack in the back he opened the side panel and exposed the interior circuit board. "The emergency shut off should be right here," Peter fumbled with the wires between his fingertips. "we can't afford to limit our power for this pain in the butt." Closing the panel he hefted the trap over his shoulder. "The trap is ready to go."

Taking the two proton packs from the rear compartment Peter kept his cool as he handed the unique piece of equipment over to Winston.

"Ready?" Winston waited for Peter to join him at the front of the parked car before heading down the dock to the lighthouse.

"Yeah, let's gear up."

Armed only with their proton packs and single, unstable trap the duo dared to enter the lighthouse and confront the ghost that had already taken down two members of the team. Peter didn't tell Winston about the unorthodox modification he had made to the trap. Without the safety of the emergency shut off the trap could easily overheat or even explode if exposed to an intense surge of psychokinetic energy.

Using the PKE meter to keep the trail fresh Winston nodded to Peter as he pushed open the access door to the lighthouse. "It's here."

"Good thing we are, too."

Stepping inside the lighthouse Winston turned on the flashlight attached the strap of his proton pack and shined the beam straight up the tower and through the spiraling staircase that outlined the walls of the ovular structure. "One way up."

"Of course it is..." Peter muttered as he looked up and then away from the exhausting climb he'd have to endure. "After you."

"Come on, we go together."

"I had a feeling you'd say that..." Peter quipped as he followed Winston up the stairs.

Two sets of boots stomping down on the metal steps echoed with an incredibly loud sound as the small area seemed to prevent the sound from leaving the building. As the two men climbed higher the sounds grew louder.

"Think we should slow down a little? What if the ghost hears us and leaves?"

"I don't think the ghost is too worried about us," Winston stared at the door at the top of the winding stairs. "I mean it attacked Ray when I was standing right next to him and it had no problem going after Egon either."

"Good point."

Pressing the palm of his hand on the surface of the flat door Winston looked at Peter over his shoulder. "Ready?"

Unsheathing his thrower Peter powered up his pack with a fiendish grin. "Ready."

Moving his hand from the door Winston gripped the door knob tightly and turned it slowly. The door opened without any difficulty as Winston pushed it open, keeping the pace slow to ensure that it didn't squeak or alert the ghost to their arrival in the top of the tower.

Circling the massive yellow light that guided ships along the coat was the bold ghost. It seemed to be absorbing energy from the light with each pass it made, causing the light to steadily grow dimmer and dimmer as even the massive source of energy wasn't enough to placate the ghost's hunger. The ghost was completely enthralled with the light and oblivious to the arrival of the Ghostbusters.

"Move to the left, I'll go right." Winston whispered as he took his thrower in his hands and positioned himself accordingly.

Peter kept his pace as steady as Winston as he took his position. Aiming the thrower with one hand and lowered the trap from his shoulder with the other the psychologist kept his focus on the ghost.

"Now!" Winston shouted as he opened fire on the ghost and easily ensnared it in his proton stream as it passed by the light between where he and Peter were standing.

Peter opened fire as well. Just as they had done the previous night in the factory the two Ghostbusters managed to hold the ghost between their beams without it breaking free or even giving them too much of a struggle to resist against.

"We have it," Winston shouted over the whirring of the proton streams. "how long can we trap it before it breaks out?"

"Not long." Peter answered as he gave a single look down at the trap.

"Did Egon say how long it'd take for the ghost to lose it's power?"

"No, he blacked out before he could say anything else." Peter remembered everything Egon had told him, especially about how the ghost nearly killed Ray. "But if we can use up its energy now and then lock it up maybe it'll-"

The ghost suddenly lurched forward as Peter's proton stream suddenly sputtered.

"What the hell?!"

"Peter! I think the ghost is feeding off of our packs!"

"Oh, crap..."

The ghost managed to break free of the streams as it absorbed the powerful energy. Hovering ominously toward Winston the ghost honed in on the PKE meter hanging from his belt.

"Winston! The meter! Toss it!"

Reacting quickly Winston unclipped the meter and threw it up high into the air and watched at the ghost darted through the device and destroyed it as its body passed through. Smoke and sparks showered down all around Peter and Winston.

"It likes our equipment..." Peter realized with a grimace. Unfastening the proton pack from his back Peter put it down on the floor and pulled open the side panel to expose the circuits. Pulling the wires loose a flurry of electrical energy began spewing forth in a blue light. Picking up the trap he held it in his arms against his chest with his foot hovering over the release trigger. "Come and get it you leech!"

Sensing the overflow of power the ghost stopped feasting on the meter and turned its full attention to the proton pack sparking on the floor. Winston watched as the ghost honed in on the malfunctioning pack's escaping power with a gaping wide maw. The look in Peter's eyes told the marine that his colleague had a plan in mind.

"That's it. A little closer... and..." Peter stomped down on the trigger for the trap and watched as both the ghost and excess protonic energy from the pack were pulled inside the metallic box. "Gotcha'!"

"Peter! Drop the trap!" Winston could see the small bolts of electricity flowing over the body of the trap. "It's going to blow!"

The ghost snarled and attempted to once again break free of its confining stream but the intense energy of the trap's now unlimited power supply was too much for the ghost to endure. As the ghost was pulled inside by the ionized light it lashed out viciously and enveloped Peter in an aura of its electricity draining energy.

Peter cried out in pain and shock as the ghost siphoned energy from his body just seconds before the trap fully encased it in the ionized prison, locking it away and dampening its power. As Peter fell backward in a crumpled heap onto the floor the trap fell from his hands and crashed to the floor with a heavy 'thud'.

"Peter! Not you too!" Winston rushed over to where Peter was laying sprawled on his back and pressed his fingers against the psychologist's neck. No pulse. "No you're not! You are NOT going to die tonight!"

Interlacing his fingers together Winston placed his hands down near the center of Peter's chest and began compressing in a controlled, precise rhythm. Performing CPR alone in the lighthouse Winston openly counted the compressions and watched Peter's opened, expressionless glazed over eyes staring upward at nothing.

"...fourteen, fifteen!" Winston paused and performed a pulse check on Peter. There was a very faint beat but Winston could feel it beneath his fingertips. "That's it Peter, come back to me."

Peter coughed weakly as he took in a slow deep breath, his chest barely rising with the effort.

"Ray and Egon may be on the road to recovery," Winston commented with a faint smile as Peter breathed again. "but you've only just begun. Come on, let's go home..."

Though uneasy Winston managed to carry Peter over his shoulder and descend the winding staircase of the lighthouse without attracting any unwanted attention. The ghost had been captured and was residing alone inside the dangerously hot trap. After placing Peter in the front passenger seat of Ecto-1 Winston raced back to the top of the lighthouse to reclaim their equipment, storing it properly in the rear compartment of the iconic hearse and then proceeded to drive back to the safety of the firehouse.

Janine, who was sitting in a chair between Egon and Ray's beds, was less than thrilled to see Winston enter the bunk room with Peter unconscious over his shoulders, but knew that the stubborn psychologist was literally in good hands. As Winston stooped down to lay Peter onto his bed he told her about what had happened at the lighthouse, and subsequently that Peter would require close monitoring just like Ray.

Two days passed without further incident from the ghost. Winston had kept the trap secured in the rear compartment of Ecto-1, deciding that is the trap did in fact explode that it'd be better for the car to receive the brunt of the damage rather than the containment unit in the basement. Once the trap cooled down and the flashing light indicating the occupation of a ghost had finally flickered off he knew the ghost was gone. With its energy spent and no way to replenish its power the ghost faded away and would no longer bother any living creature.

As the second day after the successful capture of the ghost passed from the afternoon into the evening Egon began to stir from his sleep. Running a hand over his face he felt the stubble growing on his chin and the sides of his face from the inability to shave properly. Slowly he pushed himself upright on and leaned on his elbows as he opened his eyes and saw Janine sitting in her chair next to his bed with a magazine in her hands.

"Janine?"

"Egon! You're awake!" She dropped her magazine and put her hand on his arm. "How do you feel?"

"I feel rested." He answered firmly as he reached over to the table beside his bed and unfolded his glasses. "How is Ray?"

"Still asleep." Janine confirmed with an optimistic smile. "But his heart rate picked up yesterday and Winston said his breathing is at a normal rate."

"That's good." Egon adjusted his glasses over his eyes. "I take it the ghost was successfully captured and disposed of."

"Yeah, they got it."

"Did the ghost attack anyone else?"

Janine's smile faded as she turned her head to look at Peter asleep on his bed, a cardiac monitor displaying his slow heart rate.

"Peter?" Egon swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up on his shaky legs. "How long?"

"Two days."

"How severe was the attack?" Egon tried to take a step forward but his legs were still weak and he stumbled. Janine bolted up from her chair to help Egon stand and slowly walked over to the edge of Peter's bed. "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"From what Winston told me the ghost started using the proton packs against them. Peter made one short out to lure the ghost into a trap but Peter was holding onto the trap when the ghost was pulled inside."

"And the ghost managed to attack Peter before it was sealed away." Egon realized with a heavy heart. "How severe was the attack?"

Janine wrapped her arms around Egon's arm and held tight. "It managed to stop his heart."

Reflexively Egon put his free over top of Janine's as the dreaded words set in. "Winston revived him."

"Yes." Janine felt herself blush when Egon's hand touched hers. "And he's been stable ever since."

"Good. Where is Winston?"

"He was down in the garage taking care of the car. Do you want me to call him?"

"Please."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Janine finally let go of Egon's arm and stepped toward the doorway.

"Janine?"

"Yes?" She paused at the door frame.

"Thank you for all your help."

"You're welcome." Her smiled returned as she finally passed through the door to find Winston.

Egon reached down and checked Peter's pulse by gently wrapping his fingers around Peter's wrist. The slow beating beneath his fingertips confirmed the slow heart rate on the monitor. "I'm sorry Peter, we should've been more careful with the imprisonment of the ghost after we saw what it did to Ray."

Winston nearly sprinted into the bunk room but managed to contain himself before he stormed through the door. "Egon! So good to see you awake!"

"Winston, Janine told me what happened. You did great. I'm sorry you had to do so much alone."

"It's okay, with Janine's help it hasn't been too bad." Winston stood beside Egon as he too checked in on Peter. "Fortunately the calls have been light. How's Peter holding up?"

"I think he'll make a full recovery. He's currently at the same state of recovery in which Ray was after the initial attack. Thanks to your quick actions he's still alive."

"I'm just glad we caught that ghost before it caused any major harm to other innocent people." Winston easily noticed that Egon began to waver on his feet as his still recovering body was struggling to stand upright. "Why don't you get a little more rest? Everything is under control."

Egon was hesitant to go back to sleep but knew that in the long run he'd need to be fully rested in order to recover properly. "Very well. But I'd prefer to take a shower first." His hand returned his chin. "I'd feel much more comfortable."

"Sure pal. I'll stay here with Peter and Ray until you get back."

Janine crossed back through the bunk room quietly. She stopped to look down at Ray and Peter sleeping before addressing Winston, who was clearly tired and ready to get some sleep himself. "I'm going to head home for the night. But if you need anything just call."

"I will." Winston gave her a confident grin as he stretched out on his own bed. "Thanks for everything you've done Janine, have a good night!"

The rest of the night was quiet as Egon steadily regained his strength and slept well through the night only to awaken first the following morning. Winston was exhausted from taking charge of the firehouse, but never complained about his responsibilities. He slept deeply and didn't rouse from his deserved slumber until noon.

"Ray?" Egon's deep voice caught Winston's ear as he opened his eyes. "Ray can you hear me?"

Winston rushed from his bed and leaned over Ray as Egon shook Ray's shoulder lightly. "Come on man, wake up." Winston encouraged hopefully.

Ray, who had also grown some dark stubble on his chin as the days passed by, opened his eyes slowly. His vision came into focus and he stared at Egon and Winston who were hovering over him. In a deep sleepy yawn he greeted his friends for the first time in three days. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"It's about time!" Winston reached out a hand to help Ray sit up in his bed. "You managed to survive that ghost attack and got some beauty sleep. How do you feel?"

Ray accepted Winston's hand and looked around the room in a somewhat confused manner before looking down at the leads still attached to his chest. As he peeled the sensor pads away from his flesh he cleared his throat nervously. "I feel like I really need to use the bathroom!"

Egon and Winston helped Ray climb off of his bed and walk over to the washroom so he could take care of business. Ray was still weak but managed to walk through the room without much difficulty.

"Glad to see you awake!" Winston called out to Ray.

"Thanks Winston!" Ray called back through the closed door.

Winston stifled a laugh as he watched Ray stumbling around clumsily. "Do you think Peter is going to make a normal recovery like you guys, or do you think he's going to end up milking this thing for all its worth?"

Egon crossed his arms and tried to hide his amused smirk. "Knowing Peter he'll try to feign being in a coma until we have another very attractive female client hire our services."

"Maybe we can convince Janine to play 'nurse' and give him a sponge bath."

"I think Peter would enjoy it and Janine would never forgive us."

"And I don't think we could ever replace Janine if she quit!"

"I think you're right."

**-The End**


End file.
